Staging an Empty Flat

[gingerhead]

I am putting my empty small 2 bed flat on the market. The estate agent has advised staging it with furniture as she believes it will enhance its saleability. Is this true and has anyone done this?

Yes. We looked around empty flats and it was hard to get a sense of proportion.

Yeah some people have problems imagining a space with no furniture in it, like whether they’re size bed etc will fit - it doesn’t bother me personally.

If it’ll be a pain you could try just with pics of it empty and see what interest you get before going to the trouble of moving furniture in.

We staged our last house after we moved out. Bought things from eBay and Facebook marketplace and added a few things we already owned. The curtains were all long enough for the windows but some would not have closed because they were not wide enough, but it gave the required look. The furniture made it look spacious but welcoming. Then when we sold, we did a list of all the bits we were getting rid of. Our buts bought the lot, which was surprising, but made life much easier for us, otherwise it would have gone back on Facebook.
It certainly sold the house much quicker than if it had been empty and we got a good price for it too. It helps people visualise the rooms easier if it has some furniture in and shows the size better.

Buyers*

Yes I always stage my houses. I buy white furnishings from IKEA (extorp sofa snd armchair), simple white coffee table, cheap white bedframes and mattresses (though past were colourful ones from Next as I was going for urban tropical theme), nice bed linen. I get roman blinds from blindsuk.com, set a kitchen table and put paintings up and nice accessories. I price up the furniture in case anyone wants to buy (double what it cost me as I have to transport it and assembled it), if not I reuse it for next one, though none of it is expensive. I'm not fooling anyone that someone lives there, but it does make it much more homey.

It really does help because people lack imagination.

You don’t need loads of stuff and less makes it look larger anyway. Don’t go for a huge bed but a standard double and bedside tables with attractive bedside lights.

Do people think it’s necessary to stage with wardrobes? They are quite a pain to put in/transport.

Simple, plain sofas, a coffee table. In a flat, showing there’s space for a small table for eating at either in kitchen or living room is important. I notice lots of people include a small desk somewhere too now, to suggest there’s room for home working.

Nice bedding and a cushion of 2 which are co ordinated with the curtains make a real difference.

Bathroom can have a couple of nice towels perhaps folded on closed loo seat, or simply leave bathroom empty if stuff apart from its fittings.

A lot of it is showing there is room for the standard pieces of furniture, and that’s very important in flats where people can struggle to fit things in. Knowing you can have a table and definitely fit a decent sized bed are really important.

Lots of people don’t sell their property well in the written description either. If it’s 2 double bedrooms, make sure it’s described as a 2 double bedroomed flat and not just a 2 bed. Ensure the allocated parking is mentioned in the list of key features and also proximity to station if that’s a key point. Describe the living room or kitchen as living room/diner or kitchen/diner if there is room for a table in either. Ensure bathrooms or kitchens are described as modern or recently re-fitted if they meet that description. For flats, ensure central heating is emphasised in the lust if key features if it has it as so many flats have electric heaters which aren’t so popular. If it’s a maisonette, emphasise the private front door or access direct to garden and of course, mention if it has private garden or patio area.

Lots of people seem to leave the wording totally to the EA and some EAs seem to miss out crucial details or just don’t word the descriptions well, or include typos. Check the pics and the wording before issue and don’t feel afraid to ask the EA to amend if you’re not happy. Getting the marketing right is vital in attracting viewings.

Thank you everyone for your comments and advice. It's very useful to get some more insight.

I think that to sell it as a home you need to stage it a little. My most favourite house was staged but not with that much stuff. There was a double bed in one of the bedroom, a sofa in the lounge bit, a dining set and blinds up. It was just to give an idea of how big the space was and what could fit in.

Not necessary in my experience. It’s true some people can’t visualise anything, but if there’s a reasonable level of interest, it’s not worth the trouble of acquiring cheap furniture and putting it in just for their sake. I just sold my completely empty house (which did have expensive light fittings, flooring and curtains, admittedly) without doing anything other than having it cleaned and a few areas of paint retouched, for £30k above the asking price.

It might be different with a quirkier, smaller or unusually-laid out house, obviously, or if you were trying to convince someone a small room could fit a bed and wardrobe.

I staged my house before selling. Put on the market in mid April, accepted an asking price offer from a cash buyer 3 days later, and we complete the sale tomorrow. Staging works as people want to be sold a lifestyle, they just don't know it!

Can you get anything from EBay / free cycle? I have sold 2 properties this year (one including the furniture) and they both went under offer after first weekend of viewings. My advice is sell / give to charity shop anything you don’t need (not for OP as empty). Put away anything like washing up bowls, washing powder etc). Have fresh towels in each bathroom, vacuum carpets carefully. Have interesting art work / nice plants or flowers and photos. Make it smell nice.

In OPs case I’d suggest getting sofas, beds, dining table and some basic art. Plus soft furnishings such as towels, blankets, duvets etc from charity shop / EBay / Free cycle.